Process of distilling and blending hydrocarbons



num-LEVEL D. L.. N EWTON PROCESS OF DISTILLING AND BLENDING HYDROCARBONS Dec. 29 1925;

Patentedl Dec. 29, 1925.'

STATES i 1,567,457` PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL L. NEWTON, O F FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA.

PRCESSOF DISTILLING AND BLENDING HYDROCARBONS.

Application mea July 1e, 1924. serial No. 726,985.

Improvements in `Processes of Distillingl and Blending Hydrocarbons, of which the following is a specification.

My invention-relates to a Continous proc- 10 ess of distilling and blending hydrocarbons and especially gasoline distilled from an absorbing medium, in particular the distilling and blending of gasoline from casing head gas absorbed in a hydrocarbon medium.

It is an obj ect of this invention to provide a simple and efficient process which not only quickly separates and distills the gasoline dissolved in an absorbing medium, but repeatedly blends-the constituents composing commercial gasoline in such a manner as to produce a more stable motor fuel which has no tendency to lose any substantial part of its more volatile constituents by evaporation in the ordinary handling of the same. Un-

less the asoline is blended in this manner, and this 1s especially true in regard to casing head gasoline, a considerable part of the casing head gasoline is lost by evaporation.

Y With the above and other'objects in view which Vwill appear from the following detailed description, my invention consists in thesteps of the process hereinafter described and claimed:

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the y specification, I have illustrated an apparatus suitable for carrying out my improved processes and 1n whichz' Figure 1 is a vertical cross section of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view showing a vertical cross section of one of the recircu- 4.5 lat-ine jet tubes.

Re erring to the drawings in which simlilar reference characters designate similar parts, the numeral 1 designates a vertical cylindrical shelldivided by horizontal partitions 2 into a series of compartments or chambers. The lowest chamber 3 is a gasoline vapor supply chamber; 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 aredistilling and blending chambers; .while the chamber 9 above the chamber 8 is a distilling chamber onl l Thev bottom partltion of each of the distilling and blending chambers 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 is provided with a series of perforations 10, which open into cylindrical recirculating jet tubes 11, open at the top and provided at the bottom adjacent the partition 3 with side openings 12, as shown in Fig. 2. The tubes 11 are arranged in parallel rows which are divided by vertical baile plates 13. The baffle plates are slightly more than twice the height of the tubes 11. There is an overflow pipe 14 leading from each ofl the distilling and blending chambers 8, 7, 6 and 5 to the distilling and blending chamber immediately below.- From the lowest distilling and blending chamber 4 an outlet pipe 15 conducts the absorbing medium to a supply tank or absorption apparatus (not shown).

The distilling chamber 9 is provided with 75 a false'bottom 16 provided with a series of openings in which spraying nozzles 17 are disposed. Means for maintaining the necl essarytemperature in the distilling chamber 9 and the distilling and blending chambers 4 S0 to 8 inclusive, is provided by a boiler 18 from which the steam is conducted by a valved supply pipe 19 leading to a header pipe20 from which branch pipes 21 lead to each of the distilling and blending chambers 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. A steam coil 22 is arranged between the baie plates 13 of each chamber 4 to 8 inclusive, and connected to a steam exhaust ipe 23 leading into an eX- haust header plpe 24 communicating with a steam trap 25. A steam pipe 26 leads from the steam header pipe 20 into the distilling chamber 9, where it communicates with a steam coil 27 arranged on the topof the false bottom 16, from whicha steam exhaust pipe 28 communicates with the exhaust header pipe 24.

The absorbing medium, such as kerosene, stove distillate or other suitable medium, charged with gasoline which is to be subjected to the distilling and blending treatment, enters the distilling chamber 9 under the false bottom 16 by means of a supply pipe 29 under a pressure of 10 lbs. or more. rlfhe medium, preferably preheated at a temperature from 150 to 400 F. is forced through the nozzles 1,7 where it is atomized in the chamber 9 and the combined action of heat and atomization will liberate about 50% of the gasoline dissolved in the me dium. The portion of the gasoline distilled in the chamber 9 contains substantially all the more volatile portions of the gasoline. 'T he gasoline vapors pass from the distilling chamber 9 through a pipe 30 to the supply chamber 3 at the bottom of the apparatus.

-Before entering the chamber 3 live steam at --distilling chamber to each of the distilling and blending chambers 5, 6, 7 and 8. The absorbing medium inthe distilling chamber 9 passes through an outlet pipe 32 to the vdistilling and blending chamber 8 immediately below.

To prevent any gasoline vapors from passing through the pipe 32, l provide a fluid level control float valve 38, which permits the medium only but not any gas or vapors to pass from chamber 9 to cham ber 8. rlhe medium passes successively from the distilling and blending chambers 8 to 4 inclusive through the overflow pipes 14.

The mixture of live steam and gasoline jet tubes ll Vwill throw the medium upwardly and there willbe a constant reeninclusive.

shown).

,teringof the medium through opening 1'2 of the tubes 11 and a violent agitation resembling boiling will take place in each of the distilling and bleiiding chambers 4l to 8 From the topmost distilling and blending chamber 8 an outlet pipe 34 conducts the vapors to a condenser (not In the process justvdescribed, the absorbing medium is first preheated, then introduced under pressure in the distilling chamber 9 where it is thoroughly atomized, which in conjunction with the heat supplied by the steam pipe 27 will distill out about 50% of the gasoline contained in the medium and substantially all the more volatile portion of the gasoline. The gasoline vapors mixed with live steam will now pass successively through a series of distilling and blending chambers 4 to 8 inclusive, which form an important part of my invention and in-which thev distillation of the gasoline is completed and the blending of the gasoline is effected. In each of these distilling and blending chambers, the gasoline vapors are repeatedly and intimately mixed with one another and kept at a temperature by means of the heat supply steam coil 22, so as to effect a stabilizing action on the sgasoline produced, preventing much of the loss duel to volatilization of casing head gas which takes asomar place Where no such blending action during the distilling process is effected.

'l he gasoline obtained in this process compares well with the gasoline produced by-the cracking process in the stability of the product; and futhermore by the use of the counter-current principle in which the absorbing' medium is successively conducted from one chamber to another against a current of steam and gasoline vapors passing in the opposite direction, a thorough and rapid extraction of all the gasoline contained in thel absorbing medium is effected so that when the absorbing medium leaves the 'lowest distilling and blending chamber 4, it is substantially 'denuded In cases where the absorbing medium is kerosene, stove distillate, or similar cheap by-products, a portion which may reaehas high as 20% of the absorbing medium is blended with and incorporated in the gasoline distilled therefrom and remains l,a stable constituent of the nal product ofl the motor fuel produced. In this manner commercial gasoline is made directly in one distilling operation from natural gas disf, solved -in a medium and the yield of the final product is increased beyond the volume of gasoline vapors absorbed by the medium for the reason that the part of the medium itself becomes a constituent part of the commercial. gasoline.

In my co-pending application 'filed July- 19, 1924, Serial No. 726,986, Ihave claimed the apparatus shown and described in the present application, which is limited to the process itself.

It willv be understood that various changes .in the arrangement and construction may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed. l

I claim: y

1. 1n a continuous process of distilling and blending hydrocarbons from an absorbing medium containing hydrocarbons from casing head gas in solution to produce a commercial stabilized gasoline, the steps of preheating and spraying the absorbing medium under pressure in a heated distilling zone, conducting the medium successively through a series of heated chambersV in one direction, mixing live steam with the vapors from the distilling zone, and conducting the mixture of vapors and steam under pressure successively through the series,V of said heated chambers in the opposite direction, and causing a repeated intimate contact between the medium. and the vapor and steam4 'um is incorporated as a permanent constituent of themotor fuel vapors. 2. ln a continuous process of distilling l tl'lrough a series of sai i and blendi'ng hydrocarbons from an absorbing medium containing hydrocarbons from casing head gas in solution to produce a commercial stabilized gasoline, the steps of heating and spraying the absorbing medium in a distilling zone, conducting the medium successively through a series of heated chambers in one direction, mixing live steam with vapors from the distilling zone and conducting the mixture under dpressure successively heated chambers in the opposite direction, rand causing a repeated intimate contact between the medium and the mixture of live steam and vapors in each of said chambers whereby the hydro-- carbons are distilled olf and blendedand a fraction of the medium is incorporated as a permanent constitutent of the motor fuel vapors.- 4

3. In a continuous process of distilling and blending hydrocarbons from an absorbing medium containing hydrocarbons from casing head gas in solution to produce, a

commercial stabilized gasoline, the steps of.

partially distilling the medium, conducting the medium successively through a series o chambers in one direction, mixing steam'j with the distilled vapors and conducting f the mixture 'under pressure through said chambers in the opposite direction, and caus- 30 ing a repeated intimate contact between the medium and the mixture whereby the hydrocarbons are distilled olf vand blended.

4. In a continuous process of distilling and blending hydrocarbons from an absorbing medium containing hydrocarbons from casing head gas in solution to producea commercial stabilized gasoline, the steps of partially distilling the medium, conducting the medium successively through a series of heated chambers in one direction and distilled vapors in the opposite direction, and causing a repeated intimate contact between the medium and the vapors in each of said chambers whereby the hydrocarbons are dis- 45 tlledo and blended.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

D. L. NEWTON. 

